Gone
by Black Blood Alliance
Summary: Summary: "He loves you, you know," Happy whispered hoarsely. Lucy sniffed and wiped her eyes in an attempt to clear them for even a moment, but it was to no avail. "I know."    Ok, so I've seen a lot of fics where Lucy died. What if Natsu died? D:


**Summary**: "He loves you, you know," Happy whispered hoarsely. Lucy sniffed and wiped her eyes in an attempt to clear them for even a moment, but it was to no avail. "I know."

Ok, so I've seen a lot of fics where Lucy died, so what if there was one about Natsu...? D:

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fairy Tail.

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><p>It was supposed to be one, simple mission. How could it have gone so wrong?<p>

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><p>Fairy Tail has just come back from their battle with Grimiore Heart, and everyone had been resting their injuries. A week later, the newly healed but forever scarred Master made an announcement. "Now, despite what has occurred, I do not wish for our troubles to be in vain!" he proclaimed. Makarov was standing on the second floor in the guild. Before the guild was trashed, a normal mage wasn't allowed up there. "It was an S-Class Exam, and only one person was <em>originally<em> supposed to be chosen. However, I have seen it fit to release the title of 'S-Class Mage' to not one, but two mages!"

The guild cheered in approval and praise. However, Master hushed them down quickly so that he could announce the two wizards.

"Now, I would like...Natsu Dragneel, and Cana Alberona to step forward please!" Makarov shouted, and there was silence for a moment. Cana stared at the ground sheepishly, but then the silence was interrupted as the guild roared once more. Cana felt arms wrap around her and force her forward despite the fact that she didn't believe that she deserved the title. Natsu, however, raced to to the second floor. When Cana was forced to the foot of the stairs, she felt like she could cry. She reluctantly ascended the staircase and stood next to Makarov.

"Natsu is finally a man!" Elfman shouted proudly.

"Damn it!" Gray shouted angrily. "How did that idiot become S-Class before me?"

"Gray, y-your c-clothes," Juvia stuttered. After the battle on Tenrou Island, Juvia had ceased to add an honorific at the end of Gray's name. She believed that she had reached the next level of affection for him, but she, overall, was still the same towards him.

Gray looked down and stammered. "D-damn it! When did that happen?"

Erza sighed and gripped his ear forcefully. Gray struggled to pull away from her vicious grip, but it only made his ear pain more.

"Erza! I don't know when that happened! I swear it!" he pleaded anxiously.

"The maybe this will stop that unstoppable habit of yours," Erza murmured. She dragged him away from the crowd and practically judo-threw him into the wall nearly thirty feet away. He landed on the target with a suspicious crunch. "Er...za," he muttered as he faded into unconsciousness.

Erza joined the group as if nothing had happened.

_So casual!_ was Lucy's thought as she gaped at the red-haired mage.

"Is there a problem?" Erza asked quietly, almost threateningly.

"N-no, of course not. I'm just admiring your power," Lucy said hastily, raising her hands in front of her in self-defense.

Erza nodded in acceptance. "Of course."

Lucy turned away and wiped the quickly accumulating sweat that covered her brow.

The ceremony celebrating Natsu's and Cana's ascension was long and full of liveliness. In other words, it was practically like any other day of Fairy Tail. However, the mood was light and so was the beer, because Cana had returned to her lively, sullen self and drank barrel upon barrel to 'celebrate.' Natsu and Gray were unintentionally smashing things in the guild while fighting. Eventually, Elfman had felt the need to join. However, things weren't truly chaotic until Natsu accidentally stepped on Erza's strawberry cake. She had been eating it at a table while Natsu had been jumping from table to table with Gray's pants in evasion. When Natsu felt his foot nearly get stuck in something mushy, he looked down. His eyes widened and he scratched his chin uneasily.

"Idiot!" Gray yelled and kicked Natsu before grabbing his shorts. It was then that he noticed Erza.

"What the hell did you do, flame-breath?" Gray whimpered, backing away from the slowly advancing Erza. Several veins pulsed on her forehead and her face was dark in anger.

"S-Shut up, porn star," Natsu stumbled over his own words, not taking his eyes off of Erza. Natsu was still on the ground from Gray's kick, but when he noticed Erza starting to move, he backed away in a crabwalk before pointing to a certain strawberry cake that lay at a table. Well, what was left of it, and then he pointed to his sandal.

Gray mouthed one word before turning tail fleeing. _Run._ Natsu picked himself up and joined the ice alchemist as they ran side by side. They were a meter or so apart. Out of the corner of his eye, Gray saw Natsu get pulled by his scarf from behind and a loud ruckus was heard. "Naaaaatsuuuu!" Gray shouted in agony as he quickened his sprinting pace. Since Gray had been shirtless, Erza grabbed him by his pants and was lifted into the air. He almost felt like he had a wedgie. Judgment was then placed on him as Erza nearly destroyed him as well.

Lucy giggled from her own safe table. Several yards away, Natsu's form could be seen, but there were bruises and marks all over his body, and it looked like blood was coming from the corner of his mouth.

Gray was leaning against the bar table, masassging his head. Erza was at the bar table, ordering another strawberry cake so _nonchalantly_, you would think that there was no way she could be in some way associated with the two injured rivals. Seemingly reading her thoughts, Happy added, "Such is the Great Erza."

_When did he start calling her 'Great?'_

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><p>Lucy unlocked the door to her home and entered quietly. Flicking the light to her living room on, she quickly scanned the house for any intruders, but there was none. She sighed; that has almost become a constant habit of her when entering her own home. And the odd part was that it wasn't <em>evil<em> intruders she was searching for. It was her friends, Natsu, Happy, Gray, and Erza. She snickered once more. She doubted that Natsu would have the energy to walk to her house when he was so beaten up.

She entered her room and landed on her rough bed. Wait, since when was her bed rough? Lucy quicky jumped up, and sure enough, there was a humanly silhouette poking through the comforter on her bed. Next to it was the figure of a cat. The human figure moved, pulling the comforter off of him. Natsu stood up, rubbing his nose. "You need to watch where you lay, Lucy. Those breasts of yours can kill drago-" he was interrupted as a palm painfully collided into his cheek. "What was that for?" he exclaimed.

Happy hit, his lower body covered by Lucy's comforter as he raised it in front of him in protection. "Lucy is in a mean moment," he explained.

"What do you mean 'I need to watch where I lay?' This is my damned bed. And don't talk about my breasts!" she yelled, adding the last part as if it his comment about them had just reached her. "Why are you in my house _yet again?"_ she asked, stressing the last words dreadfully.

"I'm an S-Class Mage now," Natsu said simply, as if that explained it all.

She hit him again, albeit softer than before. "Don't use that as an excuse!" she scolded.

Natsu held up a sheet of paper. "I thought we could do this quest for our first legal S-Class one. I picked the easiest one to start off with," Natsu said, holding the sheet of paper in front of her. It was still two million Jewels, an impressive sum.

"Well..." Lucy muttered. It had been a long time since they had went on an S-Class quest, and Natsu was definitely stronger.

"Erza and Popsicle will be going with us as well," Natsu added.

Lucy laughed lightly at Natsu's name for Gray and conceded. "Alright, I'll go."

"Yay!" Natsu cheered.

"Aye!" Happy chimed.

The Steller Mage sighed. "Whatever. It's late. You can sleep here for the night, and I'll hit the couch," she relented exasperatedly.

"Why are you sleeping on a couch? This is your bed," Natsu replied.

"Fine, then I'll sleep on the bed, and you can sleep on the couch," she rephrased briskly.

"But...your bed is so comfortable, and I'm an S-Class Mage," Natsu said, sitting on her bed.

Lucy's mouth hung agape and she blushed slightly. He really wasn't suggesting what she thought he was, right?

"He liiiiikes you," Happy murmured, rolling his tongue a thousand times over. Natsu frowned, but didn't say anything.

"Shut up Cat!" Lucy yelled, squeezing the Eksheed's cheeks. "Fine, we'll...both...sleep here," she struggled to get the words out. This was definitely not what she had expected to happen. She tentatively crawled into her bed, and Happy rested himself on her head. She rolled her eyes at the Cat, but didn't make a note of it. "You just stay on that side of the bed okay?"

A loud snore met her in return, and warm arms lightly touched her shoulders. Lucy shrieked softly, trying to pull away, but she was at the end of the bed. She rolled over to face Natsu and was on the verge of telling him to move, but his face calmed her down. It was so peaceful, as if nothing could disrupt it. _He's so cute_ Lucy heard Mira's voice echo in her head from old Memories, and she blushed a deep red. Happy was now resting in between them as they faced each other, Natsu asleep. Lucy drifted to dreamland eventually, and settled into a calm state.

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><p>Things had went so wrong.<p>

Lucy sat vulnerably in front of the lean man. He held a lone katana in his hand, which alone wouldn't be enough to frighten her, but the man was _powerful._ Lucy remembered the quest's heading. It was to eliminate a group of Bandits. What the quest didn't mention was that the leader was extremely fast and a powerful mage.

They had taken care of all of the other bandits, who were surprisingly tough as well, posing as a challenge to even the Titania. They had then split up to search for the leader. After seeing an individual bandit's strength, they had deduced that one of the members of Team Natsu would be able to handle him alone. _There isn't a mage in Fairy Tail that can't handle himself,_ eh Makarov? That saying only goes so far.

"Are you finished already?" the man murmured, holding his blade to the side.

Lucy whimpered in response as she was rendered powerless.

"A pity," he murmured and charged, faster than the speed of sound. Lucy closed her eyes and raised her hands in front of her instinctly, but she knew it was no hope. All of her available spirits had been defeated, and her whip lay over twenty feet away.

She heard a sickening _crunch_, but no blade passed through her. Slowly, she opened her eyes, squinting at first as if a blinding light emanated through the sky. In front of her was a man. This man had rosy-colored hair, a black waistcoat with gold trimmings, and white trousers. His arms were to the side. However, one particularly gruesome feature stood out among others. A silver blade protruded from his back. The blade cleanly exited Natsu's chest, and the bandit leader backed up.

"You..won't hurt Lucy! Not while I'm alive!" Natsu shouted to the bastard.

"Natsu?" Lucy asked in disbelief.

Natsu's legs crumped and he fell to the ground. She caught him though and held him against her thigh. "I'm really useless, huh? I couldn't even handle one man," Natsu muttered with a small smile. There was an odd tone in his voice, one she had never heard before. She gasped. It was acceptance, but what was he accepting? It couldn't be.

"Natsu, stand up. You'll be fine. I'll take you back to the guild, and you will be healed. It will take a while but you'll live through this," Lucy said quietly. There were tears building up in her eyes.

"Man, what the hell am I doing? I yelled at Erza for trying to sacrifice herself, and look at me now," Natsu said calmly. "Lucy, are you unharmed?" he asked hopefully.

"You idiot, of course I am, but why are you asking that at a time like this?" she asked, hugging him. "You're going to be fine." She placed a hand over his wound, but the blood was overflowing.

"You're fine? That's good," he said, a hint of happiness and relief in his voice. "Lucy, there's something I want to tell you," he said as his eyes started to close.

"No, Natsu! Stay awake! You'll be fine! Do you hear me?" she shouted, holding his head up to stare at him.

"Lucy, I..ove...y..." he muttered, but his eyes had closed, and he stopped talking. His chest stopped moving. His mind stopped thinking. Lucy's tears kept pouring.

She glared up at the bandit. "Damn you! Do you hear me? You are a good for nothing bastard! What the hell is wrong with you..." her tone was quiet by the time she stopped speaking. However, she wasn't talking to the bandit leader, but to herself. She was so helpless. He had to save her again. Natsu had saved her so many times. He had given her a life when he invited her to Fairy Tail, He caught her when she fell out of the tower at Phantom Lord, he defended her from Gajeel and Phantom Lord, he saved her in the S-Class Trials, and she had saved him here. But that wasn't even all of it. He had saved her countless more times.

"Natsu!" she screamed to the sky.

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><p>The rain poured against the ground and soaked them all, but they didn't care. They were all dressed in black. A park surrounded them, and a giant tree was in front of them. They were Fairy Tail, and they were mourning the loss of a fallen. However, the loss wasn't just any loss. It was Natsu Dragneel. The Salamander was practically the life of Fairy Tail, and had probably caused the most damage as well. However, it wasn't just Fairy Tail that was gathered around the tree. It was those of Blue Pegasus, the Council, even. Even members of Phantom Lord were scattered throughout the extremely massive crowd.<p>

**Natsu Dragneel**

**X767 - 784X**

**The 'Salamander' of Fairy Tail**

**This man was the life of the guild **

**He was known countrywide, through both fame, and infamy**

**But most of all, he was a member of Team Natsu**

Nearly everyone was piling the tombstone with flowers. There wasn't a single person in the crowd that wasn't shedding at least one tear. Even Gajeel couldn't take it, and his hand covered his face as he tried to hide the pain, but it was impossible. Natsu had left a good, lasting impression upon everyone. However, of the entire crowd, a certain, three, no, four people were the saddest of all. Lucy, Gray, Erza, and Happy stood at the front of the crowd, directly in front of the Grave. Team Natsu was no more. Even though they could rename it and such, it would never be the same.

"Damn idiot, dying right after he passed me," Gray shivered. Tears were pouring down his face as well. Natsu was like a brother to him. Sure, they had bickered constantly, but the two loved each other like the closest of families.

"Natsu...," Happy whimpered, staring at the grave with wide, sad eyes.

The saddest of them all wasn't Gray, though. Not even Happy would be considered the saddest one of all. No, the saddest of them all was a certain blond, Celestial Mage. She was crouched over the grave, a flower of her own in her hand. She kept shaking in sadness, and the tears going down her face rivaled that of the rain that poured against the ground.

"Hey, Luce," she heard a soft voice invite.

"Natsu?" she muttered quietly, so quietly that no one could hear her. She glanced up, then around. That voice seemed to resonate from everywhere. Her hands rested at her sides, clenched into fists. Who would dare take him away from her?

"He loved you, you know," Happy whispered hoarsely.

Lucy sniffed and wiped her eyes in an attempt to clear them for even a moment, but it was to no avail. "I know."

"I always loved him too," Lucy replied.

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><p>*Reading story with a tissue in hand and sniffing periodically* Oh, i-it's just you, my readers. *Throws tissue away and straightens up* Anyway, I hope you liked the one-shot. It grew much longer than I thought it would be, but I felt I had to do it in one go. But yeah, sorry about the length. _ I was just about to stray from the plan completely and just make the whole thing a dream of Lucy's, but I felt that I couldn't back down. How do you guys like it? How do you guys hate it? Let me know. ;D<p> 


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